Omni Instrumentation & Electrical Services, Inc. is currently involved in a large manufacturing plant project that has been proceeding surprisingly smoothly despite nationwide supply chain disruptions stemming from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Much of this favorable progress can be attributed to widespread adoption of the milestone schedule among contractors working on this project.
Milestone schedules help ensure that equipment and material production is progressing as expected and important details don’t go unnoticed. Though the construction industry has fared better than many others during the pandemic, the shutdown has certainly had detrimental effects, with project start dates pushed back, schedules upended, and equipment and material delivery delayed. Requiring that manufacturers provide a milestone schedule is always well advised on any large construction project, but the fact that many are skittish about making production and delivery commitments right now makes obtaining them important than ever.
Close tracking of production milestones from purchase order through delivery and requiring regular detailed updates from manufacturers help provide a clear picture of where a project stands and what might be expected should new supply chain disruptions arise. Typical milestones can include target dates for engineering completion, receipt of raw materials, stages of fabrication, testing, and shipment. When production problems do occur, most manufacturers give preference to contracted customers with whom they have firm milestones and open lines of communication in place.
In working closely with equipment manufacturers to track milestones on the various substations, switch gear, motor control centers, VFDs, PLCs, HMIs, and instrumentation required on our current project, Omni can definitively point to a number of instances where the milestone schedule has worked to our distinct advantage. We’ve been able to spot and head off potential problems and make proactive schedule adjustments when they can’t be completely avoided.
Based on our positive experience, Omni strongly endorses the milestone schedule on any large project, especially during these unsettled times. It might just make the difference between a satisfactory project outcome and an unmitigated finger-pointing disaster.
About Omni
Omni Instrumentation & Electrical Services, Inc., located in New Jersey and Maryland, is a premier instrumentation and electrical contractor, providing superior total care solutions since 1986. Services include instrument installation, tubing installation, instrument calibration, control loop testing, startup and commissioning, power and lighting, process control wiring, BMS wiring, telecommunications and data wiring, fire alarm wiring, security wiring, process network wiring, and control panel fabrication. Omni Instrumentation & Electrical Services, Inc., is certified in Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, DeviceNet and ASI-Bus installation.
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